What is ACICIS?

The Australian Consortium for ‘In-Country’ Indonesian Studies (ACICIS - pronounced Ah-chee-chis, as an Indonesian would say it) is an innovative, non-profit, national educational consortium that was established in 1994 to develop and coordinate high-quality, semester-long study programs at Indonesian partner universities for Australian university students. Today ACICIS offers both semester-long and 6-week short course options in Indonesia and is also open to non-Australians and private individuals. ACICIS currently has 19 Australian member universities (including nearly all of Australia’s leading institutions in the field of Indonesian studies), two European member universities (SOAS University of London and Leiden University), and the Asia New Zealand Foundation. It is coordinated by a small secretariat based at Murdoch University and governed by a National Reference Group consisting of senior Indonesian Studies academics representing all Australian states.

Member universities pay a small annual membership levy of $900, and this entitles the students from that university to discounted tuition fees. For example, on the normal semester program students from non-member universities pay tuition fees of $3,000 while those from member universities pay only $2,000.

ACICIS provides in-country student support with three full-time staff based in Indonesia. They provide academic and pastoral advice to students, a 3-4 day live-in orientation program to new students each semester, liaison with Indonesian authorities and universities, and oversee all aspects of in-country operations, including security and risk assessment. ACICIS has a comprehensive risk management plan. Students have a personal tutor for their first semester.

Since 1995 more than 900 students from 33 universities have studied with ACICIS. The consortium was established to overcome the substantial linguistic, academic, bureaucratic and immigration impediments that prevented Australian students from undertaking credited semester study at Indonesian universities. Prior to ACICIS, virtually no Australian student had undertaken such study in Indonesia.

ACICIS enables students from any member university to undertake studies in Indonesia, credited to their home university degree. In addition to Indonesian language programs, ACICIS offers studies in Indonesian Arts, a supervised field-study semester, an Islamic Studies semester (taught in English), a Journalism Professional Practicum (taught in English), and a full range of regular university units taught in Indonesian across all disciplines. ACICIS does not run courses in Indonesia. The students enrol in courses at their host Indonesian university.

ACICIS students provide detailed feedback through an anonymous, online survey at the end of each semester. Student satisfaction is routinely in the high 90s; two of the last three semesters achieved 100% satisfaction levels. In the most recent survey (semester 1, 2008), 95% rated the worth of the semester in Indonesia as “excellent” (the other 5% ticked satisfactory) and 100% would recommend ACICIS to other students at their university. Over the past 12 semesters, 83% judged the ACICIS in-country experience likely to enhance their careers.

To provide a service and information to the very strong alumni group, ACICIS maintains an email list (currently with 500+ members). The email list is used regularly to send out information such as current jobs in Indonesia, and Indonesian cultural events in Australia.

ACICIS was given a 2008 Australian Learning and Teaching Council (Carrick) Australian Award for University Teaching for Programs that Enhance Learning, in the category Educational partnerships and collaborations with other organisations. ACICIS has received funding from the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), The Australia-Indonesia Institute, the Myer Foundation, and the International Centre of Excellence in Asia-pacific Studies. See http://www.acicis.murdoch.edu.au/hi/altc.html

ACICIS is currently developing a new Development Studies Professional Practicum (internship program taught in English) at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta and Atma Jaya University in Jakarta, and an International Studies semester (taught in English) at Parahyangan University in Bandung.

Past ACICIS participants include honours students, TAFE students, Indonesian language teachers, international students and private individuals. Two things are certain - firstly, the student's language ability will improve dramatically, and secondly, everyone will have a fantastic experience that they will remember for the rest of their lives. ALL ARE WELCOME.

The ACICIS experience enhances the student’s educational experience, and produces high quality graduates with labour-market-ready experience. It gives students the ability to adjust rapidly to, and operate effectively in, an unfamiliar linguistic, cultural, social and political environment. Instead of individual universities expending considerable scarce staff time and resources in an effort to manage Indonesia placements for their own students, through ACICIS these universities collaborate in offering a well-supported common conduit for their students to study in Indonesia. Professor John Ingleson, Deputy Vice-Chancellor University of Western Sydney, has endorsed ACICIS as “an exemplar of cooperative endeavour by universities”.

Read about current ACICIS staff in Australia and Indonesia .

ACICIS has a new logo, you can see it here.